Padres To Re-Sign Brandon Morrow On Minor League Deal

The Padres and right-hander Brandon Morrow are in agreement on a minor league contract with an invite to Major League Spring Training, reports MLB.com’s Corey Brock (via Twitter). The Wasserman Media Group client spent the 2015 campaign in San Diego but, as Brock notes, was limited to just five starts due to a right shoulder impingement that ultimately required surgical repair. The August operation was said to come with a recovery time of three to four months, so Morrow should be nearly back to health at this stage.

Morrow, 31, has proven to be an exceptional talent when healthy, but has unfortunately been too injury prone throughout his career to demonstrate that talent for sustained periods. In 2012, he worked to a 2.96 ERA with a 108-to-41 K/BB ratio in 124 2/3 innings, but that marked the last time that Morrow was able to reach even 55 innings in a single season. In 120 2/3 frames since that time, he has an ERA of 4.85, though he was excellent in his five appearances with San Diego last year, recording a 2.73 ERA with a 23-to-7 K/BB ratio in 33 innings.

Formerly the No. 5 overall pick in the 2006 draft, Morrow has seen time both as a high-leverage reliever and as a starting pitcher in parts of nine seasons at the Major League level. Morrow could conceivably help the Padres in either capacity, as the team could use depth in both areas, though his specific role, if healthy, remains undetermined. It’s possible that no decision will be made on that front until the club sees how his surgically repaired shoulder looks in Spring Training this year.

He’s always had so much tantalizing talent. It musta been 2012, but one year he had a whack of complete games as well. It would be awesome to see him fulfill his potential one day. If he can stay healthy, Petco may just be the place to do it.

Thank you, disgruntledreader. Between the comments on here and the SD Union-Tribune comment threads, you’d think that Padres fans are a bunch of bitter sourpusses. We have to be realistic this year, especially with the moves that the Giants and DBacks have made. The Padres will be fighting for 3rd/4th place, no matter what they do the rest of the way, unless there’s a ton of luck involved. The front office has an eye on 2017 & beyond as they try to restock the high minors with high-ceiling talent. In the meantime, they’re trying to maximize value with the 2016 roster.

Zippy, then tell me why as recently as last week Preller was still saying the Padres are “retooling to contend in 2016”?

Right now Preller has ZERO idea what the heck he is doing. His two “stars” are aging players whose performance is almost guaranteed to decline in 2016 and every year after.

Guerra and Margot won’t help the team in 2016 or 2017 and they are the only prospects with a shot at contributing at the major league level that Preller acquired this offseason. Margot is blocked at least through 2018 by Upton and his mega salary.

This season we have more than $22 million tied up in mediocre CF alone. We have the perpetually injured Myers who is apparently once again going to be playing out of position. Kemp is barely playing at replacement level for the $18.25 million Preller will be paying him this year and he is guaranteed to continue to decline. There is NO shortstop. None. At this point, Preller has said that he expects, Blash, a Rule V draft pick to make the team and possibly be the opening day starter in LF. Norris’ lack of game calling skills contributed to all but 2 pitchers having a worse ERA, BB/9, H/9, HR/9, WHIP and nearly every other pitching stat other than K/9. The team is still heavily RH. Beyond Shields, Ross and Cashner there are really no decent starters and the bullpen has been decimated at the top with the trades of Kimbrel and Benoit. Preller will be relying on a guy with 6 major league saves and who had a 4.01 ERA last year as the closer in 2016.

The biggest offseason acquisitions have been a swingman, a backup CF, a 3rd and 4th catcher, and FOUR Rule V draft picks. Oh, and bringing in a bench coach with ZERO respect around the game.

Right now Las Vegas future books are predicting 69 wins for 2016.

Let’s face it, the team blew it hiring Preller. It’s going to get worse for Padres fans before it gets better and at this point we are stuck with a losing team for at least 3 more seasons until Kemp, Shields, Upton and hopefully Preller are gone.

I get it you are not an intelligent baseball fan and you feel a need to try to insult other people on this board. What you don’t seem to understand is that Preller has been interviewed MANY times this offseason and each time he says that they are retooling to compete in 2016. He is lying to fans and this is what he is actually doing. Picking up 4 Rule V draft picks and signing people like Morrow, trading away starters for prospects that can’t help the team win now or in the near future,.and when what he has left are not good fits at the positions they will have to play in 2016. As a Padres fan and season ticket holder I have a right to be snarky.
The payroll is already at 2015 season opening levels and there is not much Preller can do to improve the team without increasing payroll, something the ownership group has said they don’t want to do right now. They have said they have the flexibility to go after an impact player if it puts the team in a position to win now, but have publicly stated they want to payroll to stay at the 2015 level or less to start the season.
Preller has brought in very little in the way of high ceiling prospects for the starters he has sent away either. Margot is a CF with little power and average speed and he is blocked by Upton, Jay, and Jankowski. Guerra is a good SS prospect, but not even in the same category as Trea Turner, the guy Preller gave up last year to get the perpetually injured Myers. For those two Preller gave up arguably the best closer in the game and they are really the only decent prospects the Padres have received so far this offseason.
Don’t even get me started on all the moronic moves Preller made last offseason. Not a single one has worked out and the scoreboard tells the story well.
Pretty much every move he has done has not been a smart one and Padres fans are showing their displeasure at the ticket office. While season ticket sales were up last year, they are down to pre-2014 levels so far this year. Season ticket renewals were the lowest level since the fire sale of 1993. Fans don’t trust him and they are staying away in droves. .

Just to zero in on one of the many areas in this post about which you’re completely wrong (to say nothing of the ever-lengthening list of other stupid things you’ve said this winter, I’ve pointed out specific reasons you’re patently wrong, and then you’ve summarily gone silent on) let’s take a moment to look at the prospects who came back from the Red Sox, and then compare reality to the asinine and incorrect things you write about them here:
MARGOT
You write: “average speed”
Sentient baseball analysts say: 60 or 65 speed
You write: “little power”
Sentient baseball analysts say: 45 or 50 raw power and future game power in the range of 45
You write: “is blocked by Upton, Jay, and Jankowski”
Sentient baseball analysts recognize that Margot is going to start 2016 in San Antonio and shouldn’t be thought of for the big league roster until after Jay reaches FA next winter. Further, they recognize that Melvin Upton is not going to block anyone (and is still a decent bet to be dealt in a bad contract swap for a P before March rolls around). Separately, because they have basic literacy, they also know that Upton won’t be in the organization in 2018, so he won’t be doing anything “through 2018” for the Padres. In terms of Jankowski, if you can find a big league GM who would consider it a problem to have two potential future starting CF’s in the upper minors, you should definitely let us know.
GUERRA
You write: “a good SS prospect”
Sentient baseball analysts say: ” He lived up to his lofty reputation as one of the best defensive shortstops in the minor leagues,” and “Guerra has a defensive skill-set you don’t often see at his age (or at all), even at shortstop.”
You write: ” not even in the same category as Trea Turner”
Sentient baseball analysts note that Turner may be moving off the position for 2B as soon as this year for the Nationals.
LOGAN ALLEN
You write: Nothing.
Sentient baseball analysts write: many things, because they recognize him as a sleeper in the deal. A sampling: “you’d be hard pressed to find a prospect with a better pro debut than Allen’s,” and “I’m high on Allen.”

Please don’t let the fact that I’ve only chosen to focus in on this one element of your above post be taken to mean that any of the other absurd things you write are accurate. From the Norris/Hahn trade being a success to the nonsense final paragraph about season ticket renewals, you’ve managed to pack a lot of BS into a relatively small number of words.

You are certainly correct that this team is not complete for 2016. It’s also improbable that this team is going to make the playoffs. But as to the first, it’s a stupid idea (which probably explains why you’ve done it) to evaluate an offseason when it is ~40% complete And as to the second, Kimbrel and Benoit were not the keys to the 2016 edition making the playoffs either.